Girls lacrosse: Winnacunnet enjoying a successful season

HAMPTON — There is a strong feeling and plenty of evidence to suggest the Winnacunnet High School girls lacrosse team is on a positive path.

Comment

By STEVE CRAIG

seacoastonline.com

By STEVE CRAIG

Posted May. 23, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By STEVE CRAIG

Posted May. 23, 2014 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

HAMPTON — There is a strong feeling and plenty of evidence to suggest the Winnacunnet High School girls lacrosse team is on a positive path.

"Right now we have a great team," second-year head coach Michaela Hardy said. "The senior class is so strong; strong on and off the field. Our practices, every time they're going 100 percent. There's no let down. No going easy."

Where that path ends is a question worth pondering.

Will the Warriors make the playoffs? Given their 8-2 record (entering Thursday's home game with Keene), making the playoff appears to be a sure thing.

How about a spot in the final four, which would be a first for any of the current roster members? That's a reasonable goal, particularly with a recent win against preseason favorite Bedford, a thrilling 16-14 victory.

"Last year they killed us and beating them was like, 'Wow, we can do this if we really try,'" senior midfielder Liz Auffant said.

Could a Division II championship even be in the future? Winnacunnet has the offense to get the job done, senior Kelly Dolan has become a dominant force at the all-important draws that restart action after each goal, and the defense is working hard to improve, Hardy said.

"This year I think we could definitely go all the way," Dolan said. "The last couple games we've been pushing it hard."

To this point, Winnacunnet has established itself a viable contender. Today's game at Windham will be another important test.

Windham is tied with Hanover in first place with 11-2 records. Early in the season Winnacunnet lost at Hanover, 11-10, scoring a would-be tying goal a fraction of a second too late.

"Windham is very good. They've been beating Division I teams," Hardy said. "But they lost to Bedford so who knows."

Windham has scored at least 13 goals in every game and is coming off a 16-14 loss to Bedford.

The Warriors will also have two solid tests in the final week of the regular season, hosting sixth-place St. Thomas (7-4) on Tuesday and rival Portsmouth (6-9) on Thursday's Senior Game.

That stretch run will help define the Warriors' championship chances.

Back on May 6, when Bishop Guertin beat Winnacunnet, 11-3, such hopes would have seemed premature. It's the only time this season the Warriors have been held under 10 goals and three players in the lacrosse program were suspended due to athletic contract violations.

Hardy said she's seen her team refocus and get stronger since the suspensions.

Winnacunnet has scored 68 goals in its past four games — all wins — including a bounce-back 15-6 win at Merrimack, the Bedford win, a 17-7 win at Bow and Monday's 20-5 cruise at winless Spaulding.

"Kelly Dolan and Shauna (Morrison) have been huge for us on draw controls," Hardy said. "Dolan had 10 draw controls of her own against Bedford."

The offense has been as diverse as it has been potent. Attackers Alia Struckel, Meg Chase, and freshman Kelly Arsenault are consistently supporting the senior midfield trio of Dolan Auffant and Morrison.

Hardy, Auffant and Dolan each pointed to the freshman trio of Arsenault, Meg Dzialo and Halley Bushe as key contributors.

Arsenault has become a confident starter at attack, "who is doing everything right," Hardy said.

"She's wicked good at learning new things and acquiring them right away and doing them in the game," Dolan said of Arsenault.

Dzialo adds transition ability in the midfield, the ability to finish at the goal as evidenced by a big tally at the end of the Bedford win and has also helped on occasion at defense, Hardy said.

Bushe, a reserve defender, "has about the most energy of anyone I've ever seen," Auffant said.

How far the Warriors go will likely boil down to two things: being competitive on draws and tightening up on defense against top teams.

Hardy said she's seen consistent improvement from senior goalkeeper Cierra Dumont and noted junior Lily Cragg as a solidifying force at the back end.

"She's been huge for us," Hardy said. "She's communicating and working hard off the ball."

"It's a confident team," Hardy added. "Every single game they've gotten better. They want it and it shows."